Common SMS Marketing Mistakes To Avoid: Expert Opinion

One of the best marketing techniques to increase customer experience and engagement is to send out specified SMS to them. Customers are 209% more responsive to SMS than email or phone calls. 

SMS marketing is a powerful tool to affect your desired results fast. However many marketers don’t get their desired results due to many silly mistakes. 

From not making the message filled with unnecessary texts to making it completely impersonal, there are some common SMS marketing mistakes to avoid. Let’s learn about the common mistakes that marketers often make!

What Is SMS Marketing?

SMS  or short message marketing is used to send text messages with promotions to the clients. Through this, businesses can easily communicate with the clients through text messaging. Ultimately, it helps to boost engagement, generate sales, and increase brand awareness. 

SMS marketing needs to be on-point, and intimate. Otherwise, your whole marketing effort will fall victim to typical mistakes and won’t get adequate results. 

SMS Marketing Advantages And Disadvantages

Advantages

SMS marketing can bring you numerous benefits. It’s like the magic tool to reach all your targeted audience, only if you use the right ways. When you use SMS marketing properly, you will get the following benefits: 

Enhanced Reach 

When compared to more conventional forms of advertising, SMS marketing allows companies to reach a far wider audience. Organizations can reach audiences that were difficult or expensive to target before by sending direct messages to the mobile phones of prospects and consumers. 

You may be sure that your communications will be seen in real time because this direct contact reaches users where they are most frequently. 

More Engagement

The direct and quick nature of SMS marketing results in higher engagement rates than other digital marketing platforms. The open rate of text messages is much higher than that of emails, guaranteeing that receivers will see messages quickly. 

Text messages are easy to read and reply to because of their concise nature, which in turn promotes interaction. Businesses can boost engagement and relevancy by personalizing SMS marketing messages using client data. 

Saving Money

Compared to more conventional forms of advertising like print or digital channels, SMS marketing is a great way for businesses to save money. With SMS marketing, marketers can send out mass texts without breaking the bank. 

Also, the personalized and targeted approach helps cut down on ineffective messages. Businesses may maximize their return on investment potential because of this cost-effectiveness and greater engagement rates and conversion rates. 

Instant Results

The capacity to see results right away is a major selling point of SMS marketing. Text messages are usually read within minutes of receiving them, in contrast to emails that could be left unread for hours or even days. 

Because of the instantaneity, companies can see how well their ads are doing and get client feedback promptly. The built-in immediacy of SMS marketing allows companies to take advantage of opportunities as they arise and drive real-time outcomes with minimal effort necessary to execute. 

Immediate And Direct

With a stunning 97% open rate within 15 minutes of delivery, SMS marketing provides an unequaled level of immediate gratification. This guarantees that receivers will receive and act upon time-sensitive messages without delay. 

Also, when paired with other well-liked channels, such as email and social media, SMS advertisements get an even higher success rate. Businesses can communicate with their audience more efficiently and accomplish their marketing goals in real-time through this immediate engagement.

Complementary Approach 

Complementing and integrating with other marketing channels, SMS marketing works in tandem with email and social media. Using SMS in conjunction with these platforms allows businesses to boost their marketing efforts and provide a better experience for customers. 

One example is the ability to increase email marketing open rates substantially with the use of SMS reminders, which encourage clients to interact with previously delivered emails. 

Customer Insights 

SMS is a great way to get your customers to fill out surveys and give you their honest opinions. Businesses may get valuable audience data fast with a response time of more than 5 minutes and an average response rate of 31%. 

Quickly gaining insights into consumer tastes, habits, and happiness levels helps firms make smart judgments and adjust their marketing approaches appropriately.  

Proper Monitoring

Businesses can effectively monitor, measure, and enhance campaign effectiveness using the data provided by SMS marketing, which allows for direct optimization and monitoring. Businesses may learn a lot about how successful their SMS ads were by looking at measures like return on investment, delivery rates, and customer engagement. 

Companies can improve their targeting tactics, tailor their messaging, and optimize campaign elements for optimum impact with this strategy. In addition, SMS analytics make it easier to profile and segment customers, which in turn helps companies increase conversion rates.

Disadvantages 

Despite the advantages, SMS marketing brings some disadvantages too. Here are some potential drawbacks you might face: 

Character Limits

Conveying complicated information or engaging calls to action within the 160-character restriction of a single SMS is no easy feat. Although there is a workaround that involves sending numerous messages, it can limit creative expression and increase expenditures. 

Opt-in Requirement

While adhering to opt-in rules for SMS marketing guarantees client privacy, it does involve extra work to establish relationships with customers. Since getting consent requires an expenditure of time and resources, this need limits the possible size of your SMS audience. 

Spamming Risks 

The risk of spamming customers and tarnishing the company’s image is real when SMS marketing is misused. Opt-outs and regulatory fines might result from delivering too many or irrelevant messages. 

Limited Ability To Include Media

The inability to directly embed rich media into messages is a limitation of SMS due to its text-only structure. Brands that depend on visual material to captivate their audience face this issue. A workaround that allows for a richer brand experience beyond the limitations of SMS is to include short URLs that connect receivers to multimedia content on a webpage.

Deliverability Issues

Despite SMS’s impressive delivery rates, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, such as the recipient’s phone being offline, network problems, or incorrect numbers. To keep communication routes effective and reduce the number of undelivered messages, it is crucial to regularly validate and maintain your database. 

Related Post: 9 Key Benefits Of SMS Marketing You Need To Know

Common SMS Marketing Mistakes To Avoid (With Solutions)

Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of SMS marketing, it’s time to know the common mistakes that hinder your target reach. Here are the mistakes that marketers commonly make: 

1. Constantly Sending Spam Text Messages

Legal issues and damage to your brand’s reputation might result from unsolicited texts. You may stay ahead of this problem by getting your audience’s permission before sending any marketing messages. 

To accomplish this, you will need to create an opt-in form that clearly explains how to opt in and out. Inviting clients to subscribe by texting a phrase to a shortcode and describing the advantages, like exclusive discounts, is one example. 

In addition to meeting regulatory obligations, this technique helps build trust with your customers by sending them communications in which they truly have an interest. 

2. Texting Invalid Numbers

Sending texts to undeliverable numbers is inefficient and could lower your deliverability score. The answer is to build your SMS list naturally, not by buying or borrowing lists, which can have inaccurate or out-of-date information. 

To begin, reach out to your current email subscribers and offer them unique deals or contests to encourage them to join up. Make use of resources like a dependable API for number verification to check if the numbers you have on file are current and able to receive messages. 

By maximizing the reach of your messaging, this method not only makes your campaigns more effective but also improves the consumer experience.

3. Failing To Establish Contact For The Future

Managing a new subscriber’s expectations for future communications is crucial after acquiring their subscription. One typical mistake that might lead to unhappy consumers is failing to warn them about the type and frequency of incoming messages. 

To resolve this, you should send a welcome text that describes your SMS relationship, the types of messages you may expect, the frequency with which they will be sent, and how to opt out. Building a strong relationship with your subscribers requires open and honest communication from the very beginning. 

4. Using The Same Messages In Two Mediums-Text And Email.

Sending the same message over SMS and email ignores the fact that each medium has its advantages and disadvantages. The character constraint of SMS makes it perfect for short, time-sensitive messages, such as time-sensitive promotions. 

Email, on the other hand, has more room for lengthier information, including links and photos. Use short message service (SMS) notifications for urgent matters and email for in-depth information and deals that clients may come back to later; adapt your messaging to the medium accordingly. 

5. Using The Wrong Timing

When targeting audiences across multiple time zones, the timing of an SMS campaign is crucial to its success. Pick an API service that can take into account the time zones and schedules of its users and send messages at the most convenient times. 

Local audiences should not have messages sent at inconvenient hours, such as very early in the morning or late at night, because these times do not align with their daily habits. Sending thoughtful and timely messages to your customers increases engagement.

6. Sending Lengthy, Spam Messages 

One of the benefits of SMS is its brevity; people may get annoyed by long, spamming messages. Stay away from the tendency to over-communicate and instead concentrate on being kind and succinct. 

Change your communications into a friendly chat by adding your brand’s personality and personal touches. Not only is this method appropriate for SMS, but it also helps you connect with your audience on a deeper level.

7. Neglecting To Include A Clearly Stated Call To Action 

If you want your SMS marketing to get the response you want, you need a clear call to action. Messages may not convert if they do not contain an obvious call to action. Make sure there is one clear call to action in every SMS.

To simplify the response process and make it obvious what you want the consumer to do, use keywords. Because of this clarity, your campaigns are more effective, which in turn leads to better results and higher conversion rates.

8. Communicating Too Much

Subscriber weariness and an uptick in unsubscribes might result from sending too many messages. Restrict your SMS communications to no more than twice weekly, and only send urgent, relevant messages. 

This moderation shows consideration for your consumers’ personal space and prevents them from viewing your brand as obtrusive. Without boring or annoying your audience, a well-planned messaging strategy keeps them interested and engaged.

9. Ignoring Your Clients

There’s a risk of delivering SMS messages that focus more on the company’s agenda than on the customers’ actual needs and wishes. 

Sharing the word about a new product launch or a corporate milestone can be exhilarating, but it’s important to ensure that the communications your consumers get are valuable. Otherwise, they risk becoming mere noise instead of helpful information.

As a solution, you should always put your customers’ wants and requirements first when developing a message plan. Make sure the message will help the receiver before you push send. 

10. Message Content Mismatch in SMS

Rejecting an SMS message is as simple as adding or removing characters, or changing the sequence of words in your message relative to the registered template. Because of this error, your SMS marketing is no longer credible.

Your registered templates and the messages you deliver should always be consistent. To prevent message rejection due to inconsistencies, use the exact language and structure.  

11. Variables With Character Lengths That Exceed

If the number of characters you use for variables in your SMS messages is too high, your consumers may receive messages that are either missing important information or will not receive them at all.

The solution is to make sure that variables don’t exceed the boundaries set for them. To fit these limits, you can utilize URL shorteners or abbreviate information if needed.

12. Mistakenly Enrolling In The Incorrect Field

Sending transactional messages, which have highly specific category requirements, could result in delivery issues if you don’t classify them correctly.

The solution is to make sure that the right category is being assigned to your SMS messages. Be familiar with the rules governing the various SMS categories and make sure your messages follow them. 

13. Sending Messages Without Consent

Sending SMS messages without first seeking consent is a common mistake that can harm your brand’s reputation and breach legislation such as the TCPA. It violates consumers’ right to privacy and is intrusive.

Never add someone to your SMS marketing list without their explicit approval. Use sign-up forms that offer prospective subscribers the option to choose how you will interact with them. This promotes reliability and guarantees adherence to rules.

14. Failing To Provide An Easy Opt-Out Mechanism

Sending SMS messages without a clear opt-out option might annoy receivers. So, following marketing regulations and honoring consumer preferences are key considerations.

As a solution, make sure that every single SMS message has an easy way to unsubscribe, like “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” Make sure the recipient’s decision is respected right away and that the procedure is easy to understand.  

15. Mistaken Use Of Abbreviations And Slang

Avoid alienating readers who aren’t familiar with the terminology by refraining from overusing abbreviations, jargon, or slang. In SMS marketing, clarity and conciseness of communication are of the utmost importance.

Avoid using slang or superfluous acronyms while writing clear and concise communications. Make sure the acronyms you employ are common and suitable for your readers if you insist on using them. To successfully engage your audience, clear communication is essential.

16. Not Personalizing The Message

Sending generic, one-size-fits-all messages misses the opportunity to connect on a personal level with recipients, making your SMS campaigns less effective.

So, use data insights to personalize messages, addressing recipients by name or tailoring the content based on their interests or past interactions with your brand. Even small personal touches can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates.

17. Linking To Pages That Are Not Mobile-Friendly

Including links to web pages that aren’t optimized for mobile devices can frustrate users and lead to lost engagement or sales opportunities.

That’s why, ensure all linked content is accessible and displays correctly on mobile devices. Test loading times and readability to guarantee a smooth user experience. Mobile-friendly pages encourage engagement and help drive conversions from your SMS marketing efforts.

18. Sending Too Many Texts

A common mistake is sending too many messages to your subscribers. If you send them too many SMS messages too soon, they will get tired of them and opt-out. Instead of just piling up a recipient’s inbox, keep in mind that each communication should have a purpose and provide value.

The solution is to give careful consideration to the importance and worth of each SMS before sending them out to customers. Do not send the message unless you can confidently defend its significance.  

19. Sending Robotic Messages

The use of software for mass SMS marketing has the potential drawback of sending messages that seem impersonal and robotic, which can negatively impact the customer experience. Building a connection with the receiver is not met here as these messages are often ignored because they are deemed spam.

So, always think about using the recipient’s first name to add a friendly and personal touch to your communications. A great way to increase engagement and make people feel appreciated and noticed is to craft communications that resonate with them on a personal level.

If you want to know more about SMS marketing costs then you can check this article

Related Post: How Much Does SMS Marketing Cost? Know In Brief

More To Know About SMS Marketing 

Is SMS marketing illegal?

SMS marketing is not illegal. According to the regulations established by countries like the United States, it is quite permissible to engage in text marketing. Fines or lawsuits may ensue for those who do not comply with these regulations that govern consumer outreach.  

Is SMS marketing still effective?

Sure thing! SMS marketing is still killing it in a lot of different sectors. Impressive open and response rates, along with a direct and frictionless communication channel, make it a versatile tool for effectively engaging both wide and localized consumer populations.

Who uses SMS marketing?

Because of its efficiency and strong engagement rates, SMS marketing is used by businesses across many different industries. Using text messaging for promotions, reminders, and alerts is a great way for industries like education, healthcare, and retail to take advantage of its widespread reach and fast impact.

Is SMS marketing expensive?

The cost of sending an SMS message ranges from $0.01 to $0.05, making it a reasonably inexpensive form of marketing. Adding media files to an MMS message (such as a video, an image, or an emoji) causes the data cost to be slightly higher.  

Wrapping Up

Falling into the trap of SMS marketing mistakes can ruin your whole campaign. That’s why keeping the mistakes in check can save you from wasting your money. Also, if we look at the advantages of SMS marketing, it is surely a great way to reach people. Thus, you shouldn’t take any risks here. 

If you want to get the best out of your SMS marketing services, Oyolloo can give you the right hands. We have an expert team to deal with everything, which will save both your money and time. So, reach out to us for the best support in your SMS marketing campaigns!